A Distant Reverie

Chapter 84

Suisei leaned back against the metallic railings. She breathed a sigh of relief and watched the misty condensations from her breath permeate into the frigid air. The cold sensation of the steel bar etched into her back, chilling down her frazzled nerves and the adrenaline stirring through her veins. Her heart was still racing.

Vesper, Marine, and herself were resting atop of one of the machines manned by Shiori and the rest of her crew. Suisei learned that these machines were called Exos, short for exoskeleton—an apt name for robots that were piloted by a human residing in the machine's interior.

I was not expecting mechas to be involved in the final world of this adventure.

Their first two worlds had been settings inundated with magic and mana with technologies that resembled her native world's medieval eras. Suisei was finally getting used to the grittier and more rustic lifestyle of these worlds which didn't have the luxuries and technologies that she had taken for granted back home. Now she was suddenly thrusted into a more futuristic setting—one that apparently had killer robots roaming around.

I should probably feel more at home here, but...

She glanced over at her two companions. Marine's eyes were wide as she stared at the lumbering Exos moving about. Vesper was not much different, his jaws nearly on the floor while his head spun on a swivel, taking in all the various constructs in the vicinity.

With their gawking eyes and dreary-looking outfits, it didn't take a genius to realize that they were out of their element.

Let's just hope they don't ask too many questions.

At least this time, Lady Ouro kept them together upon their arrival to this world. Compared to Prosperia where they had been nearly killed by a stampede of monsters or in Sol where they found themselves in the clutches of Eden, this "onboarding experience" had been much more pleasant. Aside from being bombarded and chased by killer robots, they had made contact with friendly residents of this world right away.

Though I doubt this last adventure will be this easy.

They already ran into a problem—Vesper was unable to cast his spells here.

Suisei was distracted by the sound of someone climbing up the ladder to the top of the Exos. She watched as a woman with bright pink hair popped her head above the platform.

"I heard someone was injured," the woman said with a gruff voice.

Suisei sheepishly raised her hand.

The woman nodded and pulled herself onto the platform. She was covered in a thick fur coat, reminiscent of the jackets Suisei often wore during the winter season. Boots reinforced with some sort of alloy echoed against the metallic roof of the Exos. The woman was holding a plastic kit decorated with a red cross. Suisei smiled as she recognized the familiar symbol.

"Where?"

"The ankles."

She rolled off the cuffs of her trousers and took off her boots, trying not to draw attention to the metal greaves and armor taken from their time in Sol. The woman raised an eye, but said nothing as she opened her med kit.

The first thing she took out with a syringe.

Suisei immediately felt the air tense. Marine and Vesper's eyes were suddenly on the woman's hands.

"This is a two-part medicine. One part is a painkiller. The other will stimulate and activate your body's natural healing factors. You might feel it itch. I suggest you don't scratch and instead use ice to alleviate the irritation."